Thursday 28 April 2016

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)

A Court of Thorns and Roses A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world."


I have been experimenting a lot with the New-Adult genre since the past year in search of some good books. The New-Adult just like the Young-Adult is a fascinating genre dealing with people who have grown up physically and socially but in their minds they do not know the differences between acting as a child or a grown-up. These years are very crucial to one's life. So my search has been mostly futile but I have also found a few books that have touched my heart. One among them is the Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. Now recently I have been reading the Fantasy genre and and I am glad that I found a book like A Court of Thorns and Roses written by the talented Sarah J. Maas, who is famous to us as the creator of the Throne of Glass series.


This book is the modern retelling of the Beauty and the Beast.


Now there is a certain charm to the Beauty and the Beast that none can deny. A handsome prince cursed to be a beast for eternity by an evil enchantress unless broken by a woman who declares her true love for him. A Court of Thorns and Roses follows quite a same plot just that the setting and the characters have been changed. A nineteen year old girl named Feyre is dragged into the world of the faerys known as the Prythian by the High-Lord of the Spring Court, a handsome gallant high-fae named Tamlin who can shape shift into a beast. Feyre is told that she has to spend her entire life in the manor of Tamlin as a punishment for killing one of his own people as a part of the Treaty signed between the faerys and the humans many years ago. Feyre agrees reluctantly because she is the only food-provider of her family who are being crushed by appalling poverty. But when assured by Tamlin that everything has been taken care of she agrees to stay as a prisoner.


Feyre is definitely an avatar of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. But who cares right? Feyre is definitely unique in her own sense. The nineteen year old Feyre has to provide for her older sisters and handicapped father after suffering a huge business loss which brought them crumbling down to the streets. Unlike her middle sister Elain who is a dreamer, Feyre had to face reality at a tender age and take charge as the head. I loved Feyre and definitely appreciate her for her strength. How often do we get where the heroines have a dominant role and are not shadowed by a male lead? I loved Feyre from the starting to the end.


Now the male protagonist Tamlin can make any woman flushed and breathless. His very existence is enough for that. As he is a fae he is definitely handsome, dead sexy and a gentleman. (Oh God!) He is the beast in the story not just because he can shape shift into one but because he is under a curse that is a sickness caused by magic. Only Feyre can save him. What I liked mostly about him was that unlike the initial beast in the Beuty and the Beast who abused Belle, Tamlin is not like that. He is well-behaved and sweet to Feyre and takes care of her. How sweet is that! I am in love with Tamlin. I definitely am. How could I not be after reading the whole story? I love Feyre and Tamlin's relationship and hope they stay together in the future books. 


The side characters of the book be it the good ones or the bad ones are also one of a kind. I loved Lucien. He is evil, sarcastic and at the same time he cares for Feyre. It is very much visible in the book that he has a back-story and I am definitely interested in knowing more about him. He could be a potential strong character in the next books.


I am not sure of my feelings about Rhysand. He is so much like Damon from The Vampire Diaries Tv Show. I might have just imagined Ian Somerholder as Rhys. He helped Feyre in the tasks and at the same time taunted her. There is a side to him which is unknown to us at the moment and we will definitely know about it in the next books. I am interested to see how his character grows in the trilogy. I can totally see a love triangle forming in the next books but I don't actually want that to happen but I know that it will.


The plot of the book was amazing and gripping. I read the book in twenty four hours unable to move myself even for the bare necessities. I have heard people often complain that the first half of the book is very slow while the real action begins in the next half. But I prefer to disagree. It was necessary for the first half of the book to be slow or to move in a smooth pace otherwise building the plot would have been difficult. Feyre's journey into the world of the faerys, gaining accomplices, finding love, learning her heart's desire could only lead to the set of events that happens in the next half. I enjoyed each and every page of the book.


My most favourite scene in the book is the part where Tamlin saves a faery of the Summer court who has been stripped off his wings by Amarantha's accomplices. I could have just cried by the way in which Feyre helped the perishing faery. The way she held his hand and Tamlin helped him to pass on from this world to the next. It was beautiful. I think from there Tamlin and Feyre's relationship took a turn.


Even without Googling it I know that the story has not finished because there are definitely some questions I need the answers to. Looking forward to read A Court of Mist and Fury which releases on the 3rd of May, 2016. I have already pre-ordered the book and can't wait for it to arrive. 5/5 stars to this incredible story.









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Tuesday 26 April 2016

Review: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'That's right', he said. 'Humans don't exist on the same level as the immortals. They can't even be hurt by our weapons. But you, Percy - you are part god, part human. You live in both worlds. You can be harmed by both, and you can affect both. That's what makes heroes so special. You carry the hopes of humanity into the realm of the eternal. Monsters never die. They are reborn from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization, the very stuff that makes Kronos stronger. They must be defeated again and again, kept at bay. Heroes embody that struggle. You fight the battles humanity must win, every generation, in order to stay human. Do you understand?'

'I . . . I don't know.'


That is what is the speciality of our mighty demi-god Percy Jackson, you can never drop a book once you start reading of his adventures. Cheers to Rick Riordan for cooking up such a world entangled with Greek mythology, friendship, family, heroism, love and life. I guess it is pretty obvious that I loved The Sea Of Monsters. How can I not love it? It is fresh, witty, sarcastic and gripping from cover to cover.

I am liking the direction the story is taking. A Prophecy by the Oracle is soon going to seal the fate of Olympus (which happens to be hanging above The Empire State Building) and the Titan Lord Kronos. Kronos is desperate to regain his body to destroy Olympus and the Western Civilization as we know of it. In his visions he is using Luke, the estranged son of Hermes who is angry on the gods for abandoning their mortal children. He is not even aware of the fact that the vicious Titan Lord does not care about anyone and will chuck out Luke from the scene once his wishes have come true.

Kronos plays his cards and the Golden Fleece once lost in history is revived by Percy, Annabeth, Tyson (Percy's half brother a.k. a Cyclops) and Clarisse and is used to heal the tree of Thalia, who had died protecting her fellow campers. But unknowingly the Golden Fleece works its magic and Thalia, the daughter of Zeus is reincarnated. Now two players have been introduced as baits in the game. Two children of the Big Three, now what happens next is for the readers to find out.

There is no use going into details about the adventures of the campers of Half-Blood Camp in this book. It is for each and every Percy Jackson lover to find out. I am mesmerized by Percy's half-brother and a Cyclops Tyson. I am interested to find out what role he is destined to be playing in the rest of the books. I am sure he will be coming back soon. Another thing which I liked was that the old animosity in between the Gods for stupid reasons are being resolved by their 21st Century children. They are learning to fight as a team especially Percy (son of Poseidon), Annabeth (daughter of Athena) and Clarisse (daughter of Ares).

I am looking forward to read The Titan's Curse soon enough as I need to know what happens next like just at this moment.

P.S. I would die to have a teacher like Chiron but alas I have never met one like him yet.





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